2015-12-23

Kristen Alm says she and Carolyn Benes were headed toward home about 3 a.m. on Saturday when they noticed a rolled-over SUV and saw a group of people waving for help.

But when the Good Samaritans pulled over, they were dragged from their vehicle and beaten by the group, who then stole the friend's car and drove off.

Five people, including three teens, face multiple charges in the carjacking.

The group is also accused in two armed robberies near Clavet before rolling the SUV, which police say was stolen.

They were arrested in North Battleford, Sask., following a police chase that started in the north end of Saskatoon.

Although an RCMP news release stated the women were not injured, Alm says she has two fractured ribs, a contusion on her knee and a scratched-up leg while her friend has a concussion from hitting her head on the pavement.

She says at first she thought maybe "it was an accident or a joke."

"I put one foot out of the car and I was pulled out, pushed down, kicked and I couldn't quite believe it," she says, recalling hearing her Benes scream.

"She had a gun pointed at her head. They were trying to take her cellphone and her wallet. She was pleading with them that she has little kids."

As the attackers sped away, Alm got on her cellphone and called police. Then, she noticed the car turn around and head back toward them.

The women ran into the ditch, making sure to stay close to a fence.

"I was just terrified thinking 'they're coming back! They're coming back!' and my friend, she was thinking in her head at that time that they know we've seen them, they're going to come back and they're going to shoot us," Alm recalls.

But she says the car drove past them because they were hiding as still as they could under some bushes.

The women eventually made it to Clavet and sought refuge in the motel, Alm says.

Have you ever been to Clavet, Saskatchewan? You may recognize the name from the Corner Gas episode featuring the "Clavet Cup"; many Saskatchewan towns received cameos on the show as last names. You might also think to yourself "hey, Clavet is along way from any Indian Reservation, maybe this isn't thuggish behaviour from the backwards culture that's always in the news?

But then you stop and think, and realize it's almost certainly going to be Indians.